Myanmar rebels claim killing junta troops

A Myanmar ethnic rebel group said yesterday it had captured 14 junta troops and killed an unspecified number, in the latest blow to a fragile peace in the only region to have seen no post-coup crackdown. Days after its putsch last year, the junta reaffirmed a ceasefire with the Arakan Army (AA), which has for years fought a war for autonomy for Rakhine state's ethnic Rakhine population. But the ceasefire has frayed, with small, sporadic clashes reported since last November and both sides accusing the other of infringing on territory and harassing supporters.